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Signs Of Deer On The Farm

My husband and neighbours who walk up the lane will often say they have seen deer on or around our farm. Unfortunately I rarely see a deer. In fact in five years of living here, I think I have only had about 5 sightings.

A Deer In Neighbouring Field

There are a number of signs to indicate that deer are in the area:

Footprints in soft ground. Deer are cloven-hooved like sheep and goats; the size of the print depends on the species and age of the animal. The pointed end of the print is the front of the hoof and indicates the direction the deer was walking.

Fresh droppings are also a sign that deer are near. Their dung is made up of brown or black pellets the size of peas.

Ragged edges on leaves as the deer graze the leaves.

Scarred tree bark where the male deer have rubbed their heads against trees and bushes, leaving the bark frayed and bush damaged.

Antlers are shed once a year, so if you are very lucky you may find one or even a pair.

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2 thoughts on “Signs Of Deer On The Farm”

Hi Topveg, how amazing to see two deer up close like that and so confident to walk through your garden. did you get a photo or video of this?
You are right about the mating season – Breeding takes place in late July and August and is known as the rut. Baby deer are called kids or fawns and are born in the following May or June. Roe deer are unique amongst deer in that they have delayed implantation of the fertilised embryo so that the gestation period (7 months) is delayed until the Winter. The doe can have one or two kids which are nursed for 4-5 months. The kids are usually hidden in long grass. Twins are quite common and sometimes they may have triplets although this is uncommon.
Thanks for the interesting question.
kind regards
sara @ farmingfriends

We often see deer on Sunk Island- at least once a week. We were having a rare sit down earlier this week and a roe deer strolled past the window, accross the lawn. Ten miutes later a stag followed in her footsteps, very slowly, nibbling the garden shrubs as he went. Someone said it was the mating season, but I am not sure if they are right. Do you know>